The Untamed: With Nature's Help
by YenGirl
Summary: A fun filled afternoon turns into something more meaningful thanks to some grilled trout, a thunderstorm and a cave.
1. Chapter 1

**Author Notes:** Hello again, everyone! I know I have 2 multi chaptered stories going on, but... this is just a two shot. I promise! Enjoy :)

**Inspiration:** This story was inspired by Chapter 4 of **Nillegible**'s fabulous If you only knew then (the things I only know now). Because Jin ZiXuan needs friends and WangXian always happens whether anyone plans for it or not.

**Summary: **A fun filled afternoon turns into something more meaningful thanks to some grilled trout, a thunderstorm and a cave.

**Setting:** Spoilers for the early episodes of The Untamed drama series, set just before the Biling Lake adventure.

**Rating:** T

**Disclaimer:** The Untamed series is based on the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation novel which belongs to Mo Xiang Tong Xiu.

\- Story Start -

As soon as ZeWun Jun announced that Teacher Lan would be away for a few days, and lectures put on hold until his return, Jiang Cheng felt Wei WuXian's eyes boring into the back of his skull. Sure enough, he glanced over his shoulder to see his brother's eyes already gleaming with unholy mischief.

Of course if they didn't go overboard and, more importantly, didn't get caught, going along with Wei WuXian's ideas usually meant good fun.

'If' being the keyword, of course.

\- o -

_Some six hours later..._

It was indeed a fun filled afternoon considering they were in the most rule-bound sect in the Cultivation World.

After lunch, the two of them and Nie HuaiSang snuck off to explore the restricted areas of Cloud Recesses. They couldn't find much in the way of fun so off they went to the stream that wound its way through the Back Mountains. The next few hours were spent teaching Nie HuaiSang how to catch fish (success rate - zero) and catching some themselves (success rate - excellent).

There was no point in catching fish if they didn't grill and eat them so they decided to have an outdoor dinner instead. After all, the three of them had grown up on a meat friendly diet. After two weeks of bland, vegetarian meals with tofu and the occasional egg for protein, they were pining for something more substantial to sink their teeth into. Even white meat was better than nothing.

The wind had picked up in the last hour or so, making them shiver in their wet robes until they more or less dried off. As Nie HuaiSang searched the surrounding area for wood to build a fire, Jiang Cheng and Wei WuXian made short work of cleaning and gutting nine good sized trout. Both of them had caught and eaten more than their share of catfish growing up at Lotus Pier.

It didn't take long to get a cheerful fire going. The fish were seasoned with a sprinkling of of Wei WuXian's favourite spice mix, skewered on sharp sticks and arranged around the blaze. In less than half an hour, they were tucking into sweet, flaky white meat that only freshly caught fish could boast of.

"Thank goodness Wei-xiong and Jiang-xiong are such expert fishermen!" Nie HuaiSang struck a dramatic, hand to forehead pose. "I would have withered away with another meat-free meal."

Wei WuXian grinned at him and nudged Jiang Cheng in the ribs.

"The star studded sky above us, a crackling fire before us, and meat to fill our bellies!" He gave an exaggerated sigh before starting on his second fish. "What could possibly be better?"

Jiang Cheng should have smacked him with his fish right there and then to shut him up. He should have known that something would happen. Something _always_ happened whenever Wei WuXian opened his mouth to brag. But he didn't, and the wind soon carried off the tantalising aroma of grilled fish to two other persons wandering around the Back Mountains.

Lan WangJi who was patrolling the area since he hadn't seen the two male Jiang disciples all afternoon, and Jin ZiXuan who wanted to escape his nosy but well meaning entourage for a while.

Both of them sniffed the air, saw the flickering light in the distance and headed that way; one to catch the perpetrators and the other out of sheer curiosity. They came upon the campsite at the exact same moment, but from opposite directions. The three poachers were caught red handed, each munching on a plump, grilled trout.

A guiltier scene couldn't have been orchestrated if they had tried.

Nie HuaiSang who was facing Lan WangJi, promptly squeaked in fright and tumbled over backwards, his fish landing on the front of his robes.

Wei WuXian who was facing Jin ZiXuan, jumped up and sputtered in shock.

Jiang Cheng who was sitting between them turned from one newcomer to the other. Slowly, he lowered the fish in his hand. He wanted to swallow what was in his mouth, but his heart had jumped up to his throat and was lodged there, beating with dread.

As a heavy silence fell, Wei WuXian's gaze followed Nie HuaiSang's terror filled one and a smile replaced his initial shock. Jiang Cheng would have rolled his eyes _hard_ if he wasn't occupied with trying to get his heart to return to its rightful place in his chest so that he could send the fish down after it and into his stomach.

Ever since Wei WuXian laid eyes on the Second Jade of Lan, it was love at first sight even though he continued to deny it. Jiang Cheng had to admit that Lan WangJi presented a stunning figure right this instant, with the moonlight glinting off his silver hairpiece and making his white robes glow, turning him into a rather ethereal figure.

Too bad the simmering anger on his perfect face quite ruined the image. The moon then hid behind a cloud, as if unwilling to illuminate such a scowl.

"Oh, it's you, Lan Zhan! Come and join us!" Wei WuXian was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet with that large, silly grin on his face. He gestured in front of him as if presenting a table groaning with platters of exquisitely prepared food, instead of a crackling fire on the ground, ringed with skewered trout... the evidence of a clandestine afternoon which probably broke about a thousand rules.

Pressing his lips together, Jiang Cheng stood up and took the opportunity to sneak a glance at Nie HuaiSang. He was still lying on the ground, braced on his elbows and looking like his soul would depart his body at any second. He didn't even notice that his half eaten fish was resting on his chest.

Definitely no help to be found there either.

Following Wei WuXian's lead (because he didn't know what else to do and he absolutely _refused_ to apologise or grovel in front of the Peacock), Jiang Cheng turned to Lan WangJi and grinned (or grimaced) at him in belated welcome.

"Uh... join us, Second Young Master Lan," he muttered and jerked his head to Jin ZiXuan who had so far stayed silent. Probably never seen fish served on sticks before. "You too, Young Master Jin."

"Oi, Jiang Cheng! Who said you could invite-" Wei WuXian began in indignation.

"I see at least half a dozen rules broken here." Lan WangJi finally broke his frigid silence, his voice just as icy. "You three will extinguish this fire and follow me back at once to await punishment."

"But Lan Zhan, I just invited you to join us! There's more than enough fish to go around. Look, I'll even let the Peacock have one. The smallest one."

Jiang Chen ground his teeth together. Wei WuXian sounded more upset that his invitation was turned down than the prospect of being beaten. Again.

"Who are you calling a peacock?" Jin ZiXuan demanded, finally opening his mouth. "You can keep your burnt fish! Such a barbaric way of cooking!"

His stomach chose that moment to emit a loud growl and he snapped his mouth shut, looking mortified.

"Hungry, aren't we?" Wei WuXian smirked.

"You three will put out that fire and follow me back at once. Young Master Jin as well. _Now_." Lan WangJi's voice hadn't increased in volume but had dropped in temperature.

To Jiang Cheng's exasperation, Wei WuXian only pouted in response. He had just taken a step closer to elbow him in the ribs when a flash of lightning streaked across the sky, lighting up everything in stark black and white. Startled, they all jumped except for Nie HuaiSang who squeaked and curled into a foetal position, squishing the fish still lying on his chest.

A rumble of thunder followed, lasting all of six seconds. Jiang Cheng counted.

"Whoa, a thunderstorm?" Wei WuXian wondered aloud.

And then it started raining.

Big raindrops fell from the sky like soft bullets that burst and splashed upon contact.

Fat raindrops that soaked into hair, clothes and ground.

Wet raindrops that made the fire hiss and sputter.

The rain grew heavier as if someone was dumping _bucketfuls_ of cold water on them. In seconds, the fire went out, their hair was plastered to their heads and their clothes were drenched.

Jin ZiXuan lost the vermilion mark on his forehead when he ran a hand down his face, but didn't notice.

"There's a cave back that way," he said, speaking above the drumming of the rain as he pointed to where he had come from.

"I know where that is." Lan WangJi brushed past them and headed in that direction. "Follow me."

Jin ZiXuan immediately swung into step beside him as if unwilling to give up the lead position. The other three exchanged glances through the sheets of rain coming down, Nie HuaiSang having uncurled himself.

As usual, Wei WuXian was the first to spring into action.

"Lan Zhan, wait for us!" He snatched up three of the remaining trout and grabbed hold of Nie HuaiSang's arm. Jiang Cheng grabbed the last two fish and Nie HuaiSang's other arm. Together they hauled him upright, the fish that was stuck to his front dropping onto the ground with a 'plop'.

Then they were running after the other two who had already vanished from sight.

"Lan Zhan, wait for me! Don't leave me all alone here!"

"You're not alone so shut up!" Jiang Cheng barked at him.

"Don't run so fast, I'm going to fall," Nie HuaiSang complained, being pulled along by the other two. "Da-ge is going to kill me when he finds out about this!"

So much for a fun filled afternoon, Jiang Cheng fumed to himself. They had been caught after all.

\- Chapter End -

**A/N:** Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you enjoyed it :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Author Notes:** Hello, everyone! When I started this story, it was with the aim of getting Jin ZiXuan to bond with his two future brothers-in-law. Unfortunately, my muse insisted on shameless WangXian crack, an unexpected kink, an obligatory helping of JC losing his sanity and NHS wanting to fit in so... here's the result :)

\- Chapter Start -

The cave wasn't too far off and it was dry. That was the good news. The not so good news was that it was small and pitch black.

"Oi! Someone's stepping on my foot!"

"Get that stinking fish away from me! Ack, you stuck it to my hair instead!"

A glow of orange appeared. It barely illuminated anything more than Wei WuXian's rain drenched, hair plastered face before it fizzled out.

"My talisman papers are all soggy!" His wail echoed all around the cave and bounced off their eardrums.

"We are _not_ deaf," Jiang Cheng growled at him.

"Lan Zhan, where are you?"

Jiang Cheng clenched his jaw tight to avoid saying something he would regret and possibly get punished for.

"Ow. Jiang-xiong, you can let go of my arm now."

"Ah. Sorry, Nie-xiong."

"Lan Zhan, where _are_ you? You haven't eaten dinner yet, right? You can have a fish!"

"Why would Second Young Master Lan want your burnt fish?" Jin ZiXuan sounded annoyed. Or envious, Jiang Cheng wasn't sure which.

"They're _not_ burnt," he pointed out. He had grilled them perfectly.

"Lan Zhan, one taste of my special spice blend and you're sure to fall in lo- I mean, you're sure to love it! Heh..."

Jiang Cheng was sure he could feel the heat of Wei WuXian's blush from where he stood.

"Oh! Lan Zhan, is this your hand? Why, it's so soft!"

"Wei-xiong, you're holding my hand. At least, I think it's you?"

"Ah. Sorry, Nie-xiong. Your hand's so small..."

"It is _not!_" There was the indignant sound of a fan being flicked open, followed by a breeze from rapid fanning.

"Lan Zhan, where _are_ you? Say something!"

"Wei WuXian," Jiang Cheng growled. "Stop this nonsense at once! You're scaring off your HanGuang Jun!"

"Oh! Lan Zhan, is this your face? It must be! Why, your skin's so soft and smoo-"

"Take. Your. Filthy. Paws. Off. My. Face," Jin ZiXuan gritted out one word at a time.

There was a yelp and the sounds of a light skirmish.

"What happened?" Jiang Cheng demanded.

"I touched the peacock's face." Wei WuXian sounded like he was sulking.

"He molested me with his dirty, _fishy_ hands," Jin ZiXuan corrected, sounding extremely offended.

"I did _not!"_

Jiang Cheng didn't know if he should laugh himself sick, whack his idiot brother upside the head (and hoped he got the right one) or just bury his own head in the ground somewhere until this was all over. He settled for face palming with his free hand, his other still holding two skewered trout.

"Shut up!" He hissed. "You're getting hysterical!"

"If anyone has the right to get hysterical it would be me, "Jin ZiXuan snapped. "Not that I would."

No one bothered to acknowledged him.

"Wait, my vermilion mark is missing! Wei WuXian, did you take it?"

"No! I didn't touch your silly red dot!"

"How dare you! First of all, it's not silly! Second, it's vermilion and not red! Third, it represents-"

"It fell off when you wiped your face earlier due to the rain," Jiang Cheng interrupted him.

"Ah."

"I told you I didn't touch your silly red dot!"

"It isn't silly! Or red! And it symbolises the power of the Jin clan!"

"Whatever. Lan Zhan, are you still in this cave?" Wei WuXian's voice was edging closer and closer towards hysteria. "Say something!"

Wei WuXian, Head Disciple of the Yumeng Jiang Sect, was fearless and confident to the point of arrogance, but dark places and dogs never failed to turn him into a quivering wreck. No one knew that better than Jiang Cheng so he exhaled loudly.

"Alright, don't move. I'm going towards the sound of your voice right now."

"A-alright."

Another exhalation sounded. This was one was soft. Resigned. _Elegant_.

"Wei Ying, I am here."

"L-Lan Zhan?"

"Mn."

"Why didn't you _say_ something?"

"I..."

"I kept calling for you!"

"I know."

"Give me your hand!"

Grimacing, Jiang Cheng backtracked at once. If the words by themselves sounded intimate and private, then they sounded ten times more so in the darkness enveloping them. Thankfully, there were no other sounds except for five different sets of breathing.

Jiang Cheng allowed his tense shoulders to relax just the tiniest bit. If HanGuang Jun could calm his brother down then perhaps he wasn't as heartless as his ice prince appearance suggested. Jiang Cheng really should give him more credit.

"Lan Zhan, is this your hand?"

"Mn."

"It's so soft! How can this be? Oh, except for this cute little bump on the side of your thumb! It's a callus from wielding Bichen, isn't it?"

"Mn."

_Cute?!_ Jiang Cheng shuddered.

"I have one too, from wielding Suibian! See? Oh, of course you can't see. Here, feel my thumb. Can you feel the callus? Right there?"

"Mn."

"Of course, it's nowhere as cute or hard as yours, but-"

Jiang Cheng was now obliged to blush nine shades of red on behalf of his idiot of a shameless brother. Gah, could he be anymore obvious, babbling such ridiculous nonsense like that?

"Wei Ying's callus is cute _and_ hard."

Blinking, Jiang Cheng realised his brother's idiocy had somehow rubbed off on HanGuang Jun despite the latter growing up in the most righteous, rule bound sect in the entire Cultivation World.

"Wei-xiong, what are you and Second Young Master Lan doing?" Nie HuaiSang sounded very curious.

"Don't ask!" Jiang Cheng hissed at him.

"Oh, we're just comparing our calluses earned from sword training!" Wei WuXian sounded perfectly cheerful again.

"We _all_ have them," Jin ZiXuan scoffed. "You don't hear me asking anyone to feel my mine, do you?"

"I don't," Nie HuaiSang said in a small voice. "Have one, I mean."

Jiang Cheng's forehead wrinkled as he wondered if he should blush on Nie HuaiSang's behalf instead.

"Lan Zhan, do you have calluses anywhere else?" Wei WuXian sounded, for want of a better word, coy.

Jiang Cheng decided he wouldn't be able to spare any blushes for anyone else if Wei WuXian didn't shut the hell up.

"Fingertips. Wei Ying may touch."

"Thank you! Let's see... oh, you're right! On each fingertip! From playing the guzhin?"

"Mn."

"They're all so cute and round and hard!"

And now Jiang Cheng was on the verge of pulling his hair out. Or Wei WuXian's. Or HanGuang Jun's. Or all three at the same time.

"Anywhere else?" Wei WuXian's voice had dropped to a throaty whisper that made all the hairs on the back of Jiang Cheng's neck - and everywhere else - stand on end.

"Shut. Up!" He gritted out. If the great HanGuang Jun had cute, round and - gah! - if he had calluses of any size, shape or form anywhere else on his perfect body, Jiang Cheng didn't want to know about it. _No one_ needed to know about it.

"Nowhere else."

Wait. Did HanGuang Jun actually sound _disappointed?_

"I should train with my sword more," Nie HuaiSang said in a resigned voice. "You should see the one on Da-ge's thumb. It's _huge._"

Jiang Cheng opened his mouth, thought better of it, and closed it again.

Then a talisman flared to life, bathing Jin ZiXuan's extremely annoyed face with an orange glow.

"My talismans fared better," he said in clipped tones. "We should see what's in this cave seeing as it's still pouring outside."

_Instead of indulging in nonsensical discoveries_ were unsaid but heavily implied.

\- o -

_Some twenty minutes later..._

A small fire burned in the centre of the cave, feeding on a collection of dry twigs and leaves that had littered the cave floor. At least they could see each other's bedraggled selves now.

"Well," Wei WuXian said into the silence. "What do we do now?"

Jin ZiXuan didn't say anything, but his stomach announced its state of emptiness again. The gurgling sounds seemed magnified in their confined space.

"Ah. Excuse me," he said and gave a small cough.

"Let's heat up the fish and eat them," Jiang Cheng suggested. "There are five left so we can each have one."

No one protested, not even HanGuang Jun who probably had never eaten meat before in his life.

\- o -

_A week later..._

Despite the tedious and mind numbing punishment of copying the Lan Sect rules ten times over, Wei WuXian's spirits were undaunted; perhaps because that HanGuang Jun had insisted on partaking of the punishment together with the other four rule breakers.

"Thanks to that rainy night, Lan Zhan and I are now a couple!" Wei WuXian declared as they made their way to the Orchid Hall for lectures that morning.

"And I got to taste grilled fish," Jin ZiXuan added with great politeness. "I will be sure to visit Lotus Pier often to get that spice blend you used."

Jiang Cheng exchanged an alarmed look with Wei WuXian before clearing his throat.

"Why don't I ask my mum to send some to your mum?" He offered.

"Look, I'm finally getting a callus!" Nie HuaiSang happily showed off the bit of dry skin at the side of his thumb. "Won't Da-ge be pleased?"

Jiang Cheng gave an obliging nod and decided that things could have gone much worse. At least Nie HuaiSang was more motivated to practise his cultivation.

"Look, it's the Twin Jades! Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan! Did you sleep well? You look so wonderful this morning!"

As Wei WuXian rushed over to a stoic looking HanGuang Jun, Jiang Cheng closed his eyes and vowed never go along with any of his brother's harebrained schemes ever again. There was only so much he could take about the two of them gushing over each other's-

"Lan Zhan, look! I've been practising using Suibian with my left hand all week and now I have a callus on my left thumb as well!"

"So fast?" Nie HuaiSang sounded like he couldn't believe his ears.

"Mn. Wei Ying, look."

"Oh, you have one too! And it's just as round and-"

Clapping his hands to his ears, Jiang Cheng fled the scene, little realising that Jin ZiXuan was right behind him.

\- Story End -

**A/N:** Thank you for reading! Sorry, I have no idea what that was all about... but please leave a review if you enjoyed it. Take care :)


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